Your Prius can be a 'Friend'

Toyota setting up social network that will let owners, cars interact

Yuri Kageyama Associated Press

Published
12:01 am EDT, Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda, left, and Salesforce.Com chief executive Marc Benioff pose for photographers in front of a plug-in Prius hybrid during a joint press conference in Tokyo Monday, May 23, 2011. Japanese automaker Toyota and U.S. Internet company Salesforce.com, based in San Francisco, announced their alliance to launch "Toyota Friend," a private social network for Toyota owners that works similar to tweets on Twitter. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) less

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda, left, and Salesforce.Com chief executive Marc Benioff pose for photographers in front of a plug-in Prius hybrid during a joint press conference in Tokyo Monday, May 23, ... more

Photo: Koji Sasahara

Photo: Koji Sasahara

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Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda, left, and Salesforce.Com chief executive Marc Benioff pose for photographers in front of a plug-in Prius hybrid during a joint press conference in Tokyo Monday, May 23, 2011. Japanese automaker Toyota and U.S. Internet company Salesforce.com, based in San Francisco, announced their alliance to launch "Toyota Friend," a private social network for Toyota owners that works similar to tweets on Twitter. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) less

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda, left, and Salesforce.Com chief executive Marc Benioff pose for photographers in front of a plug-in Prius hybrid during a joint press conference in Tokyo Monday, May 23, ... more

Photo: Koji Sasahara

Your Prius can be a 'Friend'

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TOKYO -- Toyota is setting up a social networking service with the help of a U.S. Internet company and Microsoft so drivers can interact with their cars in a way that's similar to posting on Facebook or Twitter.

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. and Salesforce.com, based in San Francisco, announced their alliance Monday to launch "Toyota Friend," a private social network for Toyota owners.

In a demonstration at a Tokyo showroom, an owner of a plug-in Prius hybrid found out through a cellphone message from his Prius called "Pre-boy" that he should remember to recharge his car overnight.

When the owner plugged in his car to recharge it, the car replied, "The charge will be completed by 2:15 a.m. Is that OK? See you tomorrow."

Since many next-generation cars need to be recharged, drivers may need real-time information, such as the battery level of their cars and locations of charging stations, more than regular gas-engine cars.

The exchanges can be kept private or be shared with other "Toyota Friend" users, as well as made public on Facebook, Twitter and other services, the company said.

The companies did not give details of how the technology, such as the content of the talking car's dialogues, will be managed.

If your car is up for an inspection, for example, the owner will be notified through "Toyota Friend," which will in turn automatically link to a dealer to set up an appointment.

Toyota is investing $5.5 million, Microsoft Corp. is investing $4.1 million and Salesforce.com $2.8 million in the project.

Many cars have navigation and other network-linking capabilities that make them almost like mobile devices.

Toyota's service, built on open-source cloud platforms that are the specialty of Salesforce.com, as well as on Microsoft's platform, will start in Japan in 2012, and will be offered later worldwide, initially with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to Toyota.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda, a racing fan, said he always "talks" with his car when he is zipping around on the circuit.

With the popularity of social networking, cars and their makers should become part of that online interaction, he said.

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"I hope cars can become friends with their users, and customers will see Toyota as a friend," he said.

Salesforce.com chief executive Marc Benioff said social networks can add value to products and companies. It can also help Toyota gain information not only about their buyers but about how the car is working or not working, he said.

"I want a relationship with my car in the same way we have a relationship with our friends on social networks," he said.

Toyoda, who has always been interested in telematics, or the use of Internet technology in autos, has been aggressive in forging alliances with new kinds of companies, including one with U.S. luxury electric carmaker Tesla Motors.

Partnerships with dot.com types have been a bright spot in Toyoda's bumpy tenure as president, which has been marred by massive global recalls and parts shortages after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.